Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 244 / Thursday, December 19, 2024 / Presidential Documents 103625 

Proclamation 10874 of December 16, 2024 

Wright Brothers Day, 2024 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

On Wright Brothers Day, we celebrate the bold vision, steadfast determination, and transformative innovation of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Their 

aircraft, which completed the first sustained, controlled, and powered flight 

121 years ago, forever altered the course of human history and took our 

Nation to new heights. 

The Wright brothers embody the best of America’s grit, heart, and 

unstoppable spirit of ingenuity. Before they took to the skies that fateful 

December day, the Wright brothers had spent years conducting arduous 

research, redesigns, and dangerous trials. They were driven by the belief 

that what so many had written off as impossible could actually be done— 

that sustained, controlled, and powered flight was possible. And on the 

sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, they 

were proven right—their aircraft, the Wright Flyer, took flight for 12 seconds. 

In less than a minute, that one feat altered our understanding of technological 

possibilities and human potential forever, laying the foundation for putting 

a man on the moon; breaking the sound barrier; and beginning a new, 

deeper exploration of our universe. 

My Administration has been committed to building on their legacy of innovation and advancement. We have made improvements to modern air travel— 

from making airports more accessible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure 

Law to making air travel safer. And we have harnessed the spirit of American 

ingenuity in everything we do, like tackling the climate crisis, working 

toward ending cancer as we know it, and ensuring that the technologies 

of the future will benefit Americans for generations to come. 

On Wright Brothers Day, we honor two visionary men from Dayton, Ohio, 

who chose to look to the sky with not just wonder but with an ambition 

to take Americans where no one had gone before. Because of their work, 

generations of visionary scientists, engineers, and dreamers and doers have 

followed in their footsteps, believing that, here in America, we do big 

things and nothing is beyond our capacity. 

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved December 17, 1963, as amended 

(77 Stat. 402; 36 U.S.C. 143), has designated December 17 of each year 

as ‘‘Wright Brothers Day’’ and has authorized and requested the President 

to issue annually a proclamation inviting the people of the United States 

to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States 

of America, do hereby proclaim December 17, 2024, as Wright Brothers 

Day. 


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103626 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 244 / Thursday, December 19, 2024 / Presidential Documents 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day 

of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of 

the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 

forty-ninth. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30486 

Filed 12–18–24; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F4–P 


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